The Social Soap Box: Why Mark Zuckerberg is Person of the Year

Mark Zuckerberg is Time magazine’s “Person of the Year.” As I read the article which talked about the growth of Facebook as being close to twice the size of the U.S. and Zuckerberg’s net worth estimated to be almost $7 billion, I started thinking about my own personal journey with the social entity. I recalled the days in 2006 when my brother who was in college at the time, kept harassing me to get on Facebook. He told me that it was a way to connect with all of my friends and that once I start, I wouldn’t be able to stop. Mind you, those were also the days of Friendster and MySpace. So as a professional who tries to maintain a healthy balance between my personal and professional life, I told him what I’m sure others who’ve been asked to join Facebook have said in the past, “I am a very private person and don’t have time to play with friends online.”

Fast forward to 2010, not only do I have a personal Facebook page, I also have a Twitter account and LinkedIn profile. Did I also mention that I now do social media for Cisco and am responsible for the community management strategy of many other Cisco-owned Facebook properties? My, how times have changed! The reality is that people are spending more time in the social web, and Facebook is at the center of this social phenomenon.

So how does a Harvard dropout who runs a social networking site become “Person of the Year” for 2010? Rather than summarize the article in my blog, you can read for yourself here. But here are my personal top 3 reasons:

1) Last year my mom got her first email account and this year, she got on Facebook. And it’s not to necessarily to keep tabs on her kids, but to connect with family outside the U.S.

2) While unemployment in the U.S. is still high, social media jobs are on the rise. Just think about the growing presence of company brands on Facebook and what it takes to manage those communities!

3) I credit Facebook for being the means to my dating life. And it’s free!

And if you’re ever curious as to how you can become “Person of the Year,” Time has an app for you and it is of course, on Facebook. Since I probably will never be considered for Time’s “Person of the Year,” this could make for a nice virtual stocking stuffer. 🙂

Hi Autumn - thanks for the Time Person of the Year tip #3 - I actually did use it for a stocking stuffer!
Hope your Holidays are/were good.
Re your comments on Social Media, I'm equally amazed at how it's now taking off big time with business users these days - I guess a lot of ideas start out that way (niche, early adopters/consumers) and then crop up all over the place in business (see Chet Namboodri from Cisco's blog on how consumer -> industry for devices, for example - http://blogs.cisco.com/manufacturing/how-do-i-keep-ipads-off-of-my-factory-floor/).
Cheers for the new year, and thanks again for the Time tip! Peter

I recall using an application from SixDegrees.com back in the late 90's, it was an amazing experience to reconnect with friends I had not contact in years. Social Media is truly amazing and it has its purposes. I use FB to connect with friends and family as well as a "venting" mechanism at times.
NOW, I am disappointed that our society (as defined by Time) would bring FB/Mark to such a prominent title. In a way, it validates our society's mediocre stance on what's really important. There has to be a lot of other people truly making improvements to society.
My short 2 cents.

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